


Old Chocolate Doors

by StrexRep



Series: Welcome to Dessert Bluffs [2]
Category: Welcome to Night Vale
Genre: Everything is made of candy, Hurt/Comfort, I'm not good at tagging non-warning stuff, It's full candy and gingerbread!, M/M, Night Vale is a Normal Town, No Warnings, No flesh people in this one, except the bread people
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-18
Updated: 2021-02-07
Packaged: 2021-03-16 17:33:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,288
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28834935
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StrexRep/pseuds/StrexRep
Summary: The story of how Candy!Kevin met Candy!Carlos in the Dessert Otherworld
Relationships: Candy!Forms, Carlos/Kevin (Welcome to Night Vale)
Series: Welcome to Dessert Bluffs [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1958170
Comments: 2
Kudos: 3





	1. Eternity Alone

**Author's Note:**

> I know I haven't finished Welcome to a Dessert Otherworld. I'm a bit stuck (although I have a few ideas now). Welcome to StrexCorp is kind of taking all my time at the moment. I just wanted to give some background on these two.

_"Hey... so, you're stuck the other side of those doors? Well, thank you. Thank you for saving Night Vale. I don't think we could have done any of this without you or whatever you did to shut those doors._

_"I... This is difficult. I don't want you to feel hurt or upset by me or anything I could say to you... yet I know that this will upset you. I know that I will upset you. You said that you don't belong here, Carlos. You said that the universe has decided that you don't belong in Night Vale and... the universe is right. Those candy people came and they hurt us and they kept us in cages and in fences that burnt our hands and bodies if we touched them. Candy people have only ever come to Night Vale to harm us and we have only ever gone to other places to hurt the people there. Carlos... I love you but I can't love you. You don't belong here. You never have."_

Those were the last words he heard from Cecil. Played over a crackling voicemail. Played over and over as he walked. What was the point of doing science now? What would he learn? How to get back? He wasn't welcome. How to go back to The University of What It Is? He'd been gone so long and had nothing to show for it. He hadn't figured out the secret to Night Vale's apparent immunity to the great catastrophe. He hadn't figured out how to turn the world back to the way it once was. He hadn't even figured out why the world had turned so suddenly from flesh and blood it used to be to the sugar and syrup that it was now. When he thought of the past, he couldn't even bare to imagine being anything but candy. The idea of being made of flesh again, made of sentient meat, disgusted him.

That wasn't to say he was against those who came from Luftnarp, whose flesh had become moulded luncheon meat and who had panicked that they had been turned inside out. In fact, he envied his colleague who was able to visit and research this phenomena. It was just that human meat (in terms of what they once were) seemed weird and gross now. 

There was a lighthouse on a mountain. It was made of hard candy, so even if Carlos wanted to give in and eat it, he wouldn't have been able to break it. Starving didn't matter here but it still hurt. Dehydration didn't matter here but it still burnt. Carlos had once mentioned the small difference between these two things to Cecil. Since they had become candy, their whole body was glucose, sucrose, and other sugars. They had starch in them too, as Carlos had found out when he had dropped some iodine (which had been extremely hard to find) on his arm. He still had the black mark it had left. The composition of their bodies made starvation and dehydration closer, as they no longer drank water but glucose syrup. It had little nutritional value. Starvation was similar because they mainly ate glucose based products, but it turned out that the flavours were often broken down into what their body needed for the chemical reactions inside them to take place. 

He thought about this a lot over the weeks he spent walking towards the lighthouse. He didn't know how their bodies worked anymore, past a basic level. He didn't know how flesh bodies worked anymore either, the knowledge seeming to disappear with a lack of need for it. The world had changed and he wasn't knowledgeable like he used to be. He was skilled and he could find this knowledge, given the right equipment, but science had taken a step backwards. At least, in terms of medicine it had. Technology just seemed to be a matter of reverse engineering and moving on. 

The lighthouse was empty. The desert was empty. Everywhere was empty, except him. It was lonely. He was lonely. Eternity alone. It wasn't how he saw his life. It wasn't how he dreamed about his life as he lay in the lighthouse. 

Carlos imagined a family. Those candy people he'd met, although they were evil. He couldn't imagine eating people or bathing in the syrup that ran through their veins. He couldn't imagine being one of them but he wanted to be someone. He wanted to be something. 

Sticky tears ran down his cheeks as he played Cecil's voicemails back. He curled into a ball, sobbing into his knees. 

"You seem... not happy." A voice woke him. Had he fallen asleep? How many times... he wasn't sure. He'd been here a long time. He hadn't really moved, not needing to. Not wanting to.

"I'm not happy." Carlos agreed.

"Well, we'll just have to change that then." 


	2. Believe in Something

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kevin encourages Carlos to continue his scientific endevours.

"So... you're giving up your dream because of Cecil?" 

The words were so unwelcome, especially from the mouth they were coming from. Carlos had explained everything, played Kevin the voicemail and Kevin had shown Carlos where he had been staying; a small building that a giant masked army had built. Kevin told Carlos about he'd been living in the cave with them but that they were afraid he might try to come and fight with them and their enemies would crush fondant without a second's thought. He'd lamented on missing the syrup, but there seemed to be red streaks all across the walls and over the carpet. 

"Not because of Cecil. Because I'm alone. What's the point in studying science when it has no use to me?"

"Does science make you happy?"

"Of course it does, but if it has no use-..."

"That's a use." Kevin interrupted, smiling so wide that he ripped part of his face in the process, "You should do what makes you most joyous! Think about the Smiling God. Does it devour because it can? Yes! Does It devour because it enjoys it? Yes! Does It stop devouring because it's, frankly quite racist, boyfriend left It? No! It devours and devours and devours! It will never stop."

"I feel like this conversation became about something else..."

"Carlos, please. Science is your devouring. You shouldn't stop because..." Kevin sputtered, his hands waving in front of him to show his confusion with the mere concept, "... _Cecil_ is a big jerk." 

"What would I even research, Kevin?"

"Simple. The Smiling God." 

At first Carlos dismissed the idea and changed the topic. Kevin had a lot to show him, like the small amount of food he'd managed to grow and his plans to find a water source. He also showed Carlos his notebooks, explaining the movements of The Smiling God to him. Kevin explained the It moved in triangles and came up to devour worms. He explained the correlation between Its path and the chocolate doors before Carlos had closed them. Carlos nodded along, although paid little attention to Kevin's rambling. He wasn't interested in religion and certainly not in deities that wished to consume the entire world. Still, it was making Kevin happy to talk and the human interaction had certainly helped Carlos feel less depressed about the whole situation. 

It wasn't until Carlos went over the notes in his own time that he realised what Kevin had done. His notes were scientific. They held data sets and diagrams of observations, even if the more qualitative data was written like a journal. On one page, Kevin had even draw a giant centipede. It was a beautiful and detailed drawing and Kevin had even added a little stick figure to show some scale. It was hard to tell how accurate this scale was but it was certainly interesting.

Over the next year, Carlos went with Kevin on his trips to watch the devourer. He didn't take data at first, it seemed inappropriate when Kevin was already taking so much. He didn't want to offend the man. They slowly became closer, Carlos understanding how Kevin worked and how the Smiling God worked. Understanding why syrup played such a huge role in Kevin's life. Kevin started understanding him too. He would say things that let Carlos know he'd been listening, even if his immediate reactions seemed off or like he wasn't. He knew that Carlos wanted to grow more food sources and had looked to find some. He knew that Carlos still missed Cecil and tried to distract him. He knew that Carlos loved pasta salad (which, of course, is made of pasta, jelly beans, gummy bears, and sugar), so made it although it made his stomach turn just to do so. Kevin had even once thrown up halfway through the process and had seemed unhappy that he'd ruined the batch. 

"Why do you do all this for me?" Carlos asked one day as they sat down for lunch, "You don't have to."

"I want to. You're not happy Carlos and that makes me not happy. I want to make you happy. The Smiling God wants you to be happy. It wants you to smile and show the world those perfect teeth." 

Carlos didn't argue. Kevin had told him the Smiling God mindlessly devoured and yet told Carlos about what the Smiling God wanted for all of them. It was odd but Carlos had accepted that maybe there were just some things he wouldn't get and maybe this was one of them. 


	3. Not Over Him

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Carlos struggles with his emotions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This helped with ideas for Welcome to a Dessert Otherworld and All Candies' Eve, so mission accomplished. 
> 
> I'll update Welcome to a Dessert Otherworld soon, but I need to do Your Ghosts for tomorrow as well. Sorry it's not today, it's just been so busy I lost track of time. I wrote this before and it was just editing, so...

"Good morning, Carlos." 

It had been a year with Kevin now. They lived separately, Kevin mainly staying to the lighthouse but coming down to help Carlos build his lab. Materials were not longer short, with the Masked Army fetching different materials for them to build with while they were away fighting their enemies. They would often come back with quite bad wounds, so having a water source was important. Sugar was abundant, being in a desert, but water had been rare. It was only recently that Kevin had set up a way to get it from cactus and under ground sources.

This morning, there was little work to do except for Carlos to do science. As he'd been spending his time building his lab he had little idea about what science there actually was to do. He knew he wanted to research the source of the desert's strange energy but had little idea of where to start. He knew it had to be a smaller idea but he couldn't figure out what. Kevin had still supported him, pointing of peculiarities to help him think but Carlos was recently finding himself distracted. He enjoyed researching the Smiling God but the idea that he would be involved with the same cult that had tried to take over his old home made it hard to see this as anymore than researching a giant beast.

Kevin didn't seem to mind Carlos not wanting to join in. Carlos knew this was a tactic that cults used, pretending to not care but Kevin also hadn't tried to convert the Night Vale citizens that they'd found. He'd simply helped them to get home. It had been lonely, the weeks without Kevin, but he'd come back with a map of the desert. It seemed like they were on a ball, so that when you walked off in one direction, you'd eventually come back to where you were. Of course, the Earth is a ball so at first Carlos was sceptical and thought Kevin had simply walked in a circle but after Kevin walking with Kevin, he'd realised it was a much smaller ball than he'd thought. 

"Good morning, Kevin."

He refused to look at Kevin as he greeted him. He'd already decided to do his own research without the man today, although he'd been making similar promises everyday this week, if you can measure a week. Each time he'd given in and simply let Kevin assist with the building or farming. Today was different though. Kevin was wearing a purple poncho and teal galoshes he'd found in the desert. If it wasn't hard enough to remember he wasn't Cecil, with the outfit he was wearing on it was near impossible. Kevin had sat at one of the tables and Carlos could see him out of the corner of his eye.

"So, what are our plans for today, Carlos?"

"I have some research to do alone." Carlos explained, starting to turn his head and stopping himself, "You can do whatever you like." 

"I like spending time with you."

"I know, C-... Kevin. I just need some time alone." 

There was no answer at first, then just a happy hum from the man behind him. He didn't seem to move or argue, just sit there. Carlos could feel he was staring at him but this wasn't odd for Kevin. He would often stare at Carlos when they were working or eating together. He'd always say nice words to Carlos. He'd compliment his science and his friendliness. He'd point out when they liked the same things and appreciate Carlos' differences. Still, every time these small things made Carlos' heart jump, he'd feel a pang of guilt. Was he really feeling that for Kevin or was it simply because he missed Cecil? 

"You know what cheers me up when I miss my home?" The words caught Carlos off guard, turning quickly to look at Kevin and hating the heat that built in his cheeks as he did, "I think of all the things I didn't like about my old home, like the people who didn't smile... and the ones that did but we lost anyway..." Kevin's attention seemed to wane, staring off for a moment before continuing, "...and then what you love about here. Like, I love being around you."

"Does that really work? Do you not just think about all the nice things?"

"Like when Lauren would hit me? No, I don't... I avoid any happy thoughts about the past, that way you can focus on the happy now!"

Carlos frowned. The suffocating feeling just pressed more down on him at these words, wondering how much of Kevin's happiness was centred around a feeling that Carlos still felt for another. Worse so, another that he saw in Kevin. "I hated... being an outsider. Being looked at oddly because I was made of candy rather than bread. That even when I saved the town, over and over again, I was still an interloper who people were suspicious of." 

"Good! Now, what do you _love_ about being here?"

"No one judges me here." Carlos admitted, looking away from Kevin. He hadn't missed the intonation on the man's words and it only hurt more, "I like that there's a large task for me, ready to be broken down, even if I'm unsure how yet. I like that... you're not pushing your religion onto me."

"Why would I?"

"Well, The Joyous Congregation of the Smiling God _is_ a cult. Part of a cult is recruitment, trying to change a person, inside and out..."

"No, no... Strex did that and I miss them for it but I don't see a need for you to change. I want you to be pure, pure enough that in the Great Devouring the Smiling God accepts you but I think that making you truly happy is the best way to do that! Not to simply smile _all_ the time, although a nice smile is the best!"

Carlos raised an eyebrow, staring at Kevin. He was smiling wide and staring back, although waiting for Carlos' response. It didn't come for several minutes so Kevin continued, "Who would I covert, Carlos? You're the only one here. The Night Vale residents won't listen because of prejudice. The point of a congregation is to make money and productive masses that work for the cult leaders, me. We already share work and finances, there's no point converting you unless I was going to make you another leader. Another leader of nothing. I miss my congregation but that's over and I try to think happy thoughts about the Smiling God. The Smiling God is real and I will follow It until I'm devoured, but you don't have to."

"That's... oddly open of you. Aren't you afraid I'm going to tell someone?"

"Tell who? _Cecil?_ " Kevin laughed, shrugging, "As if he's not aware of the inner workings of cults. He's aware. He made that _perfectly_ clear."

He had a point. Cecil happily listed problems with the city council as if they were expected behaviour of a governing body. Although, he supposed, that was the point. Cecil had however denounced the Smiling God and the believes of the Joyous Congregation so it was likely the case he knew it was a cult. It did give Carlos an idea, however. The more differences he could find between Cecil and Kevin, the more likely he would be able to get rid of these horribly pleasant feelings he had for the man who was so infatuated with him and yet he couldn't bring himself to seeing as anymore than Cecil's face on another person.

"Why don't you teach me about the Smiling God, Kevin. I've read your notes but I still don't understand a lot of the believes."

"I suppose I could." Kevin hummed, tapping his chin as he thought, "I suppose the best place to start would be how I met the Smiling God. Then we can move onto the prophet before me."

"There was a prophet before you?"

"Well, of course!"


	4. Slipping up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The two get closer but Carlos makes a mistake that ruins everything.

"Three years." Carlos started, marking the calendar with his favourite cherry candy stick. It was running down but he could make more. This one was only special because of who had given it to him and he was trying to push that out of his head. The thing about losing someone was that days like these seemed harder. They seemed to drag on and on. Three years since he had left. Three years with little company. Three years, "Just don't think about it. Just don't think about it."

Carlos kept the radio off. He'd started getting used to having the radio off. The lack of noise, when Kevin wasn't around, made it harder but not as hard as hearing Cecil's voice every time he listened. It wasn't easy to keep it off either. Kevin was late today, so the silence let him mind move to Cecil. Over and over. That night under the Arby's sign. Their date, walking through the breadstick trees trying to determine the type of bread that made up the leaves. Even those nights spent curled up on Cecil's sofa, where nothing much happened. He tried and tried and tried to think of other things but it always led back to Cecil. 

It wasn't even like he could cry. Not because the Smiling God wanted him not to cry, after all Carlos still considered himself agnostic even if he attended Kevin's sermons. After all, Kevin would be preaching to no one if Carlos didn't come along. It was obvious to him that although Kevin was fully aware that the Joyous Congregation was a cult, he truly held the beliefs of the cult unlike other leaders. No, he couldn't cry because tears wouldn't come. He'd tried forcing them but they wouldn't show in his eyes. The pain was still far too deep for his body to allow him any reaction past the tight chested agony that suffocated him when he allowed it. The same feeling he felt as Kevin walked through the door.

Kevin was smiling as normal and the flutter that it had summoned inside of Carlos had only amplified the pain and the choking feeling in his throat. 

"Thanks for waiting, Carlos. I was so productive last night that I lost track of the time. Silly thing, that is!" The man sang and suddenly the tears appeared. Why now? Why when Kevin was there? Now they'd come he had to force them back, "What's the plan for this joyous day?"

"I was thinking that we take it easy today."

"Well, that's not productive."

"It is." Carlos laughed, more to try and force some happiness into himself, "Remember what I told you, Kevin. Days relaxing can be productive too and we scheduled today as a relaxing day. Let's go check out the spa and then make dinner." 

Kevin didn't argue like Carlos thought he would, instead following as the other moved past him. He didn't speak at all, which was odd for Kevin. Even as they applied spa treatments to each other, he didn't talk. Not about the sand. Not about his project. Not about the Smiling God. Carlos wished he'd speak and speak about something that Cecil wouldn't. Every time he looked up to the other, he saw Cecil instead of Kevin. It was worse now that they'd healed his smile scars with fresh fondant and found him another liquorice eye. They weren't sure they could make new eyes but as his old ones were just liquorice wheels, which they'd found one of in the desert, it made sense not to try to make new eyes. Kevin never seemed to miss his scars, although Carlos wasn't sure he'd talk about it if he did. Still, after Kevin was finished massaging Carlos, Carlos decided he would have to take over the conversation. 

"What do you want for dinner?"

"Anything you make will be lovely."

"Even Pasta Salad?" Carlos said, trying to make a joke but regretting it as they saw the sour look in Kevin's eyes, "I'm kidding. What about red wine and tapas. We've got a lot of things we can-..."

"That sounds wonderful." Kevin sang, moving so his head faced away from Carlos now. 

"I-... uhm... is something wrong, Kevin?"

"Hm? Oh, no, not at all."

"Tired?"

"Oh, Carlos! When do _I_ get tired." He laughed, turning to move the other's hands away. Carlos watched and stepped back, letting Kevin sit up, "Today is three years since I left Strex. Since Cecil forcibly removed me from Strex, I should say... such nice memories. I had an idea, as I have no other real way of returning the favour, I'm making myself a radio station. Sure, no one will be listening but it means that..." He trailed off, looking away from Carlos and laughing, "... that I can broadcast, even if no one listens."

Carlos watched his body language closely. Kevin wasn't doing this for himself, Carlos could tell. In that case he was doing it for Carlos? So that... Carlos wasn't in silence. So Carlos didn't have to listen to Cecil in order to have noise.

"Anyhoo," Kevin continued as Carlos didn't reply, "The radio makes me happy. As long as I'm on the broadcasting side, of course! It's rather mean, being on the receiving side of a broadcast... I suppose the truth often hurts."

Carlos wasn't sure what Kevin was talking about, but he nodded all the same. He knew the feeling of hearing Cecil talking about him on the radio after he had broken Carlos' heart. Hearing Cecil calling him terrible names, _'syrup lover',_ that one really stuck. Knowing that Cecil grouped him with the Joyous Congregation despite never being associated with the organisation himself. He'd never let Kevin paint him in syrup, despite Kevin wanting to. The words were ringing in his ears, trying to push them out but trying not to think about the soft and sweet words that were trying to replace them. 

The lips on his were welcome. Soft memories helping him to pull away from the betrayal that he could barely process. Gentle touches. His cheek, his shoulder. Hands on the familiar waist. A body next to his that he'd felt thousands of times, but he had forgotten that he hadn't. That it hadn't been this soft or delicate. That it had been a different kind of soft. 

"Cecil." Carlos whispered as the kiss broke, giving himself a moment to breathe before going for another. His advance was stopped by a hand, eyes moving to the smile greeting him. 

" _Ho..._ uhm... such a silly head I am! I got a little carried away there." Kevin grimaced, "I forgot that I have work to do. Very important... important... building work! It's crucial, so I should do that..."

Carlos' words were trapped in his throat as he watched the other leave, heart sinking to his stomach. 


	5. Triptych

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Carlos and Kevin make up, they decide to stay away from each other when the anniversary of being trapped in the Desert Otherworld. Carlos decides the listen to the radio instead.

The first few weeks after that day, Kevin had avoided him. It took a month before they finally spoke to each other again. Kevin had refused having feelings for Carlos, so Carlos had dropped the topic despite not believing his words. Carlos wanted Kevin to feel that way for him but had decided he himself obviously wasn't ready for that kind of relationship. They agreed to stay away from each other on the anniversary from now on. Carlos was regretting this, as Kevin had become more distant the last few days. It was almost four years here now. They had got into the habit of following the Smiling God three days a week, doing science three days of the week, and relaxing together the other day. It was nice. It was perfect. Yet Kevin had still retreated when the date came around for them to have their day apart. It almost felt like a week apart.

Carlos marked the calendar with a new candy stick, one that Kevin made for him to replace the worn down one from Cecil. He sank into his lab bench, staring at the radio. He wanted to turn it on, but knew that Kevin wasn't broadcasting yet. The only station he'd pick up was Night Vale. Still, he made the decision to turn it on and hear the voice of Night Vale pull on his heart once again. 

_"What's past is prologue. What's future is epilogue. This right here is maybe chapter 4 or 5."_

The odd nonsense that came from Cecil used to calm him but now he could only think about it with bleak nihilism. Imagine this being so close to his start, yet being all there would be until his end. Being stuck here with a man who was pulling his heart strings in the same way the voice on the radio once had and yet who he had shattered so haphazardly. His heart didn't leap for Cecil like it used to, just a dull ache in his chest for what there once was. It offered no comfort, only pain now.

A crackle on the radio drew Carlos' attention and then made his stomach summersault. Why? He'd heard that voice... but...

_"... Hello? Is there a new friend on the air with me? This is Kevin over in Dessert Bluffs."_

_"Yeah, we know who you are. And another thing, just because you decided to name that other desert world you're living in Dessert Bluffs doesn't make it the town of Dessert Bluffs. Dessert Bluffs isn't there anymore."_

_"Uhm... I'm not sure why you would call it 'other'. It's certainly a desert, and most certainly still here. And not named by me, that's for sure. You sound on edge, uhm...?"_

_"Uh... Cecil? From Night Vale? You and that evil corporation StrepsCorp tried to take over my town very recently, so yeah, I might sound a_ little _on edge!"_

" _StrepsCorp? Ha! I don't think so... That big business monster! They've bee-..."_

" _Destroyed, I know. We made sure of that_ _."_

Carlos stared at the radio. Although he was extremely annoyed at Cecil's rudeness, he was more interested in what Kevin had to say. He'd, for some reason, imagined that Kevin had always been the way he was. It wasn't that they hadn't discussed before StrepsCorp had come to Dessert Bluffs, just that Kevin had always portrayed it as a bad time or that he wasn't as good as he is now. It seemed odd to hear this person. 

Kevin argued with Cecil but Cecil cut him off eventually and Carlos sank back into his desk. He didn't really want to listen to Cecil, but he thought it was best not to break his and Kevin's promise to stay away from each other. Before he knew it Kevin was on air again, but this time he sent chills down Carlos' spine.

_"Well, this seems to be a radio signal from the much more recent past."_

_"The warping of linear time is exactly why I love community radio. So terrifyingly helpful... all manners of helpful it is, right, Cecil?"_

Well, that made no sense, but the spewing of Streps propaganda afterwards after had taken Carlos' mind off of the odd sentiment. Kevin talking about work. Kevin talking about how they'd force them to work to live... sounding so happy about it. It broke his heart. He could feel the tears streaming down his face with each of Kevin's words. He wanted to turn the radio off but he couldn't. _'I tried to stop them.'_ Why couldn't he turn it off? _'Ethically brutal methods'_ God he was happy when Cecil interrupted and cut him off of the air. Why were these feelings so strong? Why was he so distraught? He knew the answer but he didn't want to accept the answer. Why did he? He didn't want to accept it because it wouldn't be returned, not anymore, and he was selfishly thinking about that rather than thinking about how terrible things were for Kevin. How hurt Kevin was and must be. 

Cecil cut off future Kevin immediately, despite Carlos begging the radio to keep him on. He wanted to know. He wanted to know that Kevin was happy. That he had finally found some happiness, whether in Carlos or in something or someone else. He just wanted to know he was happy.

_"Cecil? Cecil?"_

_"You again."_

_"Ok... I just have one question. If you're from the future, you know how this turns out?"_

_"Yes... I do..."_

_"So, do I win? Does everything go as right as right can be?"_

_"No."_

_"Wh-What?"_

_"No, you don't win, Kevin. You and your little town are torn to shreds. You become a monster, a shrivelled, worthless piece of fondant who follows along behind that evil corporation. I don't care what they did to you, I just hope it hurt."_

_"I-... No! No! We can't lose! Y-you're joke, right?"_

_"You might as well give up, Kevin."_

_"No! We're strong here in the Bluffs! We're not giving up!"_

Carlos stood up. He couldn't believe what he'd just heard. He couldn't believe that Cecil would say something so vile to someone so sweet. Someone who just wanted to protect their town, the same way that Cecil had. He couldn't say something like that, surely... no, maybe he just didn't know Cecil well enough.

He had to see Kevin. Kevin might not want to see him, but he had to tell him. Had to hold him. He'd understood what Kevin had said about being on the broadcasting side of things. 

Kevin was busy when Carlos found him, but he wrapped his arms around the man from behind. He'd expected the jump and didn't react to it. Kevin turned and Carlos took his arms back to let him, not letting Kevin question the tears in his eyes before going to kiss the man. 

Once again he was met by a palm an awkward laugh, Kevin not looking at him, "I thought we said we would spend the day apart... to avoid this kind of thing."

Words caught in Carlos' throat, not sure how to express his guilt for the previous year. His guilt for what had happened to Kevin in the past. His love for this man.

"I have work to do elsewhere." Kevin mumbled, pointing towards the lighthouse, "Please don't follow me." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A reminder that Carlos mentions that he got broadcast from the future. I do headcanon that Carlos heard the events of Triptych before Cecil.
> 
> Also Bread!Cecil is an asshole, I don't think canon Cecil is an asshole.


End file.
